A black visitor to Chester claims she couldn't get out of the city quick enough after she encountered a barrage of racist comments and behaviour .

Sophie Tomlinson, 29, from Hulme in Manchester, said she became so self-conscious and paranoid during her four-day pleasure break in Chester last week she spent most of her time in her hotel room.

She said: 'It started off at the train station and the attitude of the taxi driver put me on edge. It was the tone of his voice and the way he spoke to me but I thought maybe it was just him.

'When I got to the hotel a white lady was in front of me and the staff were really helpful to her and as soon as I came they were abrupt and curt,' Miss Tomlinson claimed.

'I just felt self-conscious. It ended up with me spending most of my time in my room in my hotel.'

Miss Tomlinson, a legal secretary, said she encountered racist attitudes from shop and hotel staff, and even children in Chester town centre.

She said: 'Young kids shouting 'nigger' at me, people staring at me as I walked down the street. It was just a real eye-opener, I just didn't believe these kinds of things happened so close to Manchester.'

She said 'the shouting 'nigger' in the street' by 15-16-year-olds most shocked her: 'I thought this was happening 50 years ago. I didn't say anything because it was kids and they pick up things adults say.'

Miss Tomlinson said she would be writing a letter to the Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Christleton to complain about the 'negative' treatment she claims she received there.

'I asked them at reception if they had a supermarket or newsagent nearby and the young lady said to me 'it's down the road'. I said I haven't got a car and she said 'It's only just down the road, about five minutes' walk'. It took me over half an hour to get to Sainsbury's. It was little things like that.

'When I was leaving they tried to charge me again for the room. I just looked at her and said 'nice try' and I just got in my taxi and went home and was glad to see Manchester.'

Miss Tomlinson's boss, Peter Gaskin, of Barley Croft, Great Boughton, said he was 'angry, disgusted and disappointed' by her experiences.

He said: 'I was absolutely shocked. I felt ashamed because it's where I call home. Now I have been aware of this apparent problem it does put rather a different light on the place I'm afraid. It really is quite disturbing.

'The only thing that's struck me about Chester over the years it doesn't have a very large ethnic minority population. I work in Moss Side where it's very different.'

The father-of-three added: 'I hate to think they are growing up in a place which, if not encourages it, seems to condone those types of things.'

Shantele Erwin, director of Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Racial Equality Council, based in Chester, said: 'I think the problem is that people aren't as aware of race equality issues as they may be in other areas with a higher ethnic minority population. There's kids in Cheshire who have never had contact with anyone of a different background.'

Celia Gibson, Chester City Council's equality advisor, said: 'We're incredibly sad to hear about this experience and the fact that a visitor has had a distressing and negative incident in our city.'

She said she would be contacting Miss Tomlinson. 'For instance we may be able to find out what shops are involved and make an approach to the shops, and possibly the hotel.'

She continued: 'We all need to challenge racist behaviour and attitudes. But Chester's no different from any other place in the country because this is a national problem. Everyone, parents and teachers, has a duty to challenge this kind of behaviour. I feel deeply saddened that someone has experienced this and it's particularly sad because so much was from children.'

Chris Sherman, general manager of the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, said: 'We have not received a formal complaint from Ms Tomlinson either during or after her stay.

'We operate a strict equal opportunities policy throughout the Ramada Jarvis Group. If Ms Tomlinson has any sort of issue with the service she received whilst staying in our hotel, we invite her to contact us direct.' Amother-of-five has spoken of her disgust at the racism suffered by her youngest, part-Hispanic son.

The 40-year-old, who would only be identified as Amanda, of Great Boughton, said her four-year-old boy was growing up self-conscious in Chester.

She said: 'It's a very racist place. I have five children and my youngest is part-Spanish. He's got very dark eyes, everyone says how gorgeous he is. But you would be surprised how many people call him 'nigger'.'

Amanda said 18 months ago she had to remove him from a playgroup after six weeks because of the treatment he received from some children.

She said: 'They were calling him 'brown boy', 'nigger boy'. He never wanted to go, he was so upset. There were a number of incidents when he went to the park with the other children. The playgroup said they didn't know what to do about it. The woman was so embarrassed but I'm glad she told me. As soon as I found out, he was out of there.'

Amanda said her son was still affected by the name-calling.

She said yesterday: 'He had green paint yesterday and he painted himself green and he said 'I'm a green boy today not a brown boy'. A child does not come out with that if there aren't things being said.'

Amanda said that there had been no problems at the play-group he goes to now but added that she gets comments 'every day' about his skin colour.

She said: 'People comment on why is he that colour, have you adopted him, why's he here.

'Some people are more tactful but they look at you and it's the looks you get, a look of disgust.

'They don't necessarily say things. It's the way people look at you and make you feel uncomfortable.

'I don't know what the answer is. I don't see how you are going to win.'